vsa3janes

Disney has an offer where you can join their movie club and get so many movies for a really cheap price and then agree to buy other movies, I think it is 5, over the next so many years. My dd collects Disney movies, she started when she was young and has them all on vhs and all that have been released on dvds. A movie is always part of her Christmas gifts. This year no Disney movie though, it will be the anniversary edition of Wizard of Oz.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=12174334 $19.00 LeapFrog Learn & Groove Musical Table http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/70/84/31/10/0070843110233_215X215.jpg available in pink, too

The online forum here has a thread with the ongoing Amazon toy deals. Check it out, tons of great gift ideas in your price range. Also, spend $25 and get free shipping.

One year my Mom gave me a pair of green, heavy knit/poly pants. Later when I asked for the receipt she said "I loved them and thought they would look great with your white blouse." I was 25 and would not have been caught dead in those old lady pants.

#1 - I didn't know we were shopping for the octamom's kids! #2 - I should have known to stay home when she told me "Honey, I just need to run in the mall and pick up one thing. #3 - Eating a turkey sandwich for breakfast seemed like a good idea at the time.

I don't on BF but have already started shopping for the family we adopted at work. We adopt a family from a local shelter, most everyone pitches in and I buy from their wish list and add more. So far I have been able to purchase 2 outfits for each family member, shoes for each, pjs for each, stuffed Christmas stockings for each, dishes, pots n pans, flatware and books/toys for the kids. If they donate more money I would like to buy a coat, gloves & hat for each person. It has been difficult this year because several of the "big" givers & helpers were downsized from our company. But we just adopted a smaller family and will still be able to make their holiday bright.

Last year a gal at work told me about the way their family exchanges gifts. They each bring a wrapped gift, for whatever value is previously decided upon, then they play the left/right game. Everyone sits where they can pass gifts back and forth to the person next to them. It is a story about family events that have happen through out the year and includes the work left or right multiple times. Every time the word left or right is said everyone passes the gift they have to the left or right. When the story ends the gift you hold it yours. We played this at work last year and I wrote a story to the poem Night Before Christmas using people from works names and short facts about them. It was a lot of fun, everyone gets confused passing the gifts and listening to the story.

I carry a small notebook in my purse. When shopping with dgd, 10 yrs old, from Jan to July everything she wants goes on her birthday list in the notebook. From July to December things go on the Christmas list. She is a very content child and rarely sees things she wants so I am happy to keep a list for her. So far she has 2 ds games Scooby Doo and Ninjas, a Wii Resort game and a Webkins on her list.

Two gifts that were opened on Christmas Eve were from me. Usually pjs and one of the smaller items off of her list. Everything Christmas morning was from Santa. Big gifts, like a bike, weren't wrapped but everything else was. My cousin said she doesn't want Santa to get credit for the "good" gifts so she makes one item from Santa and everything else from her and dh. IMO that takes away from the magic of Santa. Besides once they grow up they know where it all came from anyway. But it is up to each family to celebrate in a manner that makes them happy.

Honey Maid Fruit Salsa w/Graham Crackers This is a great light dessert after a heavy meal. 1/4 cup chopped red apples 1/2 cup chopped seedless green grapes 1/4 cup canned mandarin orange segments, drained & cut in half 1/4 cup chopped strawberries 2 tbsp apricot preserves 8 Honey Maid low fat Honey Grahams, broken in half (16 squares) Mix fruit and preserves until well blended, place in small strainer over bowl. Refrigerate at least 30 mins. Spoon 1 tbsp of the fruit mixture onto each graham square just before serving.

Weekly maid service!

lol this is exactly what I do....I can tell you what I gave people and spent for gifts back to the early '90s. Before that I kept a small notebook in my purse and wrote everything in there. I still keep a small notebook and write down gift ideas and who I still need to buy for year to year. Must be the accounting gene in me, too.

My list changes until I find the perfect gift. Once it is purchased, no more changing.

One of the gals at work does this for her family and they all bring a white elephant type of gift then play the left/right story game. (a story where everyone passes gifts left/right when the word is said in the story) She said over the years people start bringing back the same gag gifts and it is a laugh to see who takes it home, knowing they will bring it next year. Apparently it is all about the way the gift is wrapped. No matter what is inside people want to end up with the more uniquely wrapped gift.

I put mine up Thanksgiving weekend and take it down the weekend after New Year.

http://www.6pm.com/search/brand/2628/filter/brandNameFacet/%22MUK+LUKS%22/ http://www.6pm.com/assets/hotspot/6pm-home-deals-2a/3040/90716hero_02a.jpg MUK LUKS Toggle Boot Crazy Fairisle http://a1.zassets.com/images/z/1/0/6/1067535-t-THUMBNAIL.jpg $9.95 (72% off MSRP $35.00) so many more...

When dd was young I saved money in a saving account then when layaway opened at ToysRUs for the holiday season I would purchase her gifts and use layaway to store them. Being a single/divorced mom this worked great. I could shop at lunch time, store the toys until I was ready to pick them up and wrap them for Santa. It would have been a hassle to drag gifts from the store to another house then to my house later. Layaway was a great option for me.

Way back when I collected Santa's then I decided I liked Snowmen better. They were in every room of my house during the holidays. But I stopped after that was what everyone gave me for gifts and I was getting ones I didn't care for. Then I moved to a smaller house I didn't have room to display all of them, so I rotate them now each year when I decorate but many stay boxed up. DD says I should have a garage sale and sell all the ones that have been in boxes for more than 5 years and that are too large for me to use. Some I like so much I can't bare to get rid of them, others I'd give away...if I dug them out of the boxes.

To go with their other gifts I bought Star Wars concert tickets for my dgd & sil. It will be a "date" night for them so I'll probably throw in a GC to a restaurant, too. DD said her gift was me not getting her a ticket. She is not a fan like they both are.

Each stocking has about 4 gifts not costing more than approx. $5 each and then an apple and their favorite candy. Now the value of the gifts are more than $5, I shop all year for stocking stuffers and Easter basket fillers, but I don't spend more than that on each gift.

Thank you for the second code. I got this cute black demin jacket for $13.32. http://assets.charmingshoppes.com/is/image/Catherines/2368041?$checkout_product$&wid=70&hei=91

for $11.04 and no shipping cost I bought this jacket in olive green http://assets.charmingshoppes.com/is/image/Catherines/4064366?$product_main$&wid=290&hei=377

http://www.catherines.com/ http://www.catherines.com/assets/ct/assets/images/cms/home/plussizeclothing_promo_091409.jpg

I bought my granddaughter (10 yr old) tickets for her and her Dad to go see the Star Wars concert. They are both huge fans. I will probably give them a gift cert to have dinner somewhere too. Wrap it up and label it Dad & You date night. Of course, I tt my son in law and he is thrilled.

What about some cake decorating or cooking classes. There are several local placed in St Louis that offer classes for kids that are pretty reasonable.